Shirt retainer



P. KRUPIN SHIRT RETAINER June 19, 1962 Filed April 8, 1959 Philip Krupin 1N VEN TOR.

United States Patent 3,039,115 SHIRT RETAINER Philip Krupin, Albany, N.Y. (735 Elm Ave., Apt. 33, Teaneck, NJ.) Filed Apr. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 805,988 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-229) The present invention generally relates to shirt retainers and more particularly to a device for holding a shirt within the upper end of a pair of trousers or the like.

It is desirable to hold the front of a mans shirt in a manner free from wrinkles and unsightly bulges and that the button line of the shirt lie in a smooth straight line in order to present the neatest possible appearance. As is well known, there is a tendency for mens shirts to creep or work upwardly thereby causing wrinkles and a general untidiness. There have been numerous devices utilized in an attempt to prevent the shirt from creeping upwardly from its position Within the trousers. While these devices may have some measure of success, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel shirt retainer incorporating structural features therein which enable the device to eiiectively restrain the front of the shirt from creeping up and will cause no discomfort to the wearer and will not be observable from the exterior and which is adjustable vertically for orientating the shirt properly and for tensioning the shirt in the desired manner.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shirt retainer or holddown device including a resilient element and a vertical adjustment connection to the trousers for maintaining the button line in straight line condition and generally providing a. proper amount of tension on the shirt so that the same will not appear to be pulled tight and drawn but will, at the same time, be maintained in the desired taut but neat condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shirt retainer which is relatively simple and trouble free in construction, easy to use, efiective for its particular purposes and generally inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a pair of trousers with the shirt retainer of the present invention associated therewith and with the lower portion of a shirt;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 2-2 f FIGURE 1 illustrating the details of construction of the assembly;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse, plane sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 illustrating further structural details of the device; and

FIGURE 4 is an elevation of the shirt retainer of the present invention attached to the inner surface of the trousers.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral generally designates the shirt retainer of the present invention for holding a shirt or blouse or similar upper garment 12 within the upper end of a pair of trousers 14, a shirt or similar lower garment which for the purposes of illustration is in the form of a pair of trousers having the usual belt loops 16 and the central "ice fly opening .18 which is defined by an outer panel 2% and an inner panel 22 detachably interconnected in overlapping condition by a fastener 24 at the upper end and a slide fastener or other fasteners throughout the length thereof which is of conventional constructionand forms no part of the present invention.

The shirt retainer 10 is mounted on the inner portion of the inner panel 22 and includes a mounting tape 24 which is interposed between the outer layer of cloth 26 and the inner layer of cloth 2: making up the inner panel 22. The inner layer of cloth 26 is provided with an elongated slot Stl through which a portion of the tape 24 is visible. The edges of the slot 30 and the edges of the tape 24 are secured to the outer layer 26 by a peripheral row of stitching 32.

Mounted on the tape 24 is a longitudinal projection 34 having a plurality of transverse bars 36 thereon which are mutually spaced from each other and which slidably receive a slider generally designated by the numeral 38.

The slider includes an inverted generally U-shaped body member 4% slidably engaging the bars 36 and longitudinal projection 34. A generally laterally elongated wire loop 42 is supported at one end of the body 4%) and receives a double elastic strap 44 therethrough. The elastic strap is secured to a tab 46 at the upper end thereof with the tab 45 having a buttonhole or slot 48 therein for engagement with a button 59 on the shirt 12. For ease of attachment, one part of the strap 24 goes completely throughout the length of the tab 44 While the other part of the strap 44 terminates just below the tab 46 and is anchored by stitching 52. The tab includes a pair of panels secured to the elastic strap 44 by a peripheral row of stitching 54.

For locking the slider body 4% on the projection and bars 36, a manual latch element 56 is provided with the latch element having an inturned end 58 adapted to engage the transverse bars 36 and which will engage under the transverse bars 36 and prevent upward movement of the body 4d. The latch 56 is supported by a pivot pin 60 extending through the sides: of the body. Also, the resilient element 44 engages the inner surface of the latch and holds the same outwardly thus holding the inturned end 5% in engagement with the transverse bars 36 so that as long as tension is exerted on the resilient member 44 by its attachment to the shirt, the device will be locked in adjusted position. By manually pushing the upper end of the latch 56 inwardly, the inturned end 53 may be released from the bars whereby the body 49 of the slider 38 may be moved vertically into adjusted position as desired thereby orientating the tab 46 in the desired position so that the proper amount of tension may be provided on the shirt 12 for holding the shirt in the optimum condition.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

In combination, a lower garment having a longitudinal member availably secured in an upper portion of said garment, said member provided with longitudinally spaced transverse bars, a retainer for releasably and adjustably retaining a lower portion of an upper garment within the. encompassing confines of an upper portion of said lower garment, said retainer embodying a slider body slidably mounted on said longitudinal member, latch means pivotally mountal intermediate its ends on said slider body .and having a lateral detent at its pivoted end selectively and releasably engageable with one of the bars on said longitudinal member, a flexible but substantially inelastic tab embodying complemental superposed panels marginally stitched together and having a slot providing a buttonhole adapted to be detaehably and temporarily connected with a selected button on said upper garment, an elastic strap having an upper end interposed between and stitched to the panels of said tab and having a lower end operatively connected with a cooperating upper end portion of said slider body, said tab being normally disposed, when in use, in a position below the upper edge portion of said lower garment.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Barhydt Aug. 9, Candle Mar. 28, Weinstein Mar. 25, Turnbull Feb. 10, Illsche June 8, White July 11, Legat July 10, Statham Sept. 5, L0 Cascio Sept. 1, Arnold Dec. 22,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 20, 

